| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, October 10 2005 |
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| Afraid and alone, a teenage girl gives birth to an unplanned and unwanted baby. Out of desperation, she wraps the newborn in a blanket and drives to a nearby trash dump, where she leaves the crying child among piles of plastic bags filled with household garbage. A few days later, the tiny, lifeless body is found.
As hard as it is to believe, dozens of newborns are abandoned by their mothers every year in the United States. Within days of birth, they are left in hazardous places like trash dumps, ditches, toilets and rivers by the people who are supposed to protect them. The stories make the evening news on a regular basis. When we hear them, we shake our heads in disbelief, wondering what -- if anything -- can be done to prevent these tragedies.
As a mother, I cannot fathom how someone could abandon a defenseless baby. For me, nothing can compare to the joy of bringing a precious new life into the world. Nurturing and caring for a baby are things that should come naturally to a new mother. In fact, sometimes we mothers go too far in trying to protect our children from harm, and become overprotective.
That is not the case with many desperate young women who find themselves alone, with no one to offer advice and counseling. Women who give birth to unwanted babies have already passed the biggest hurdle: deciding to have the child instead of having an abortion. If they are unable or unwilling to care for the child, the next step should be an unselfish one: giving the child a chance at life.
State legislatures across the country have come to the aid of these women and their babies. As I write this, 46 states have passed so-called Safe Haven laws, allowing mothers to leave unwanted newborns in hospitals, police stations and firehouses. No questions are asked of the mother, and no charges are filed. The only concern is that a life has been saved. The laws allow desperate women or other family members to safely and anonymously turn over custody of their newborns.
Safe Haven laws are making a difference. There have been hundreds of cases where women have dropped off their newborns, who can then be adopted by loving families -- many of whom cannot have children of their own -- who offer these babies a bright future. Without Safe Haven laws, those children would likely have turned up dead, another statistic and yet another report on the evening news -- and another shake of the head, asking how a tragedy like that could have occurred.
In cities like Los Angeles, Houston, New York and Miami, there are hot lines -- in many cases, run by volunteer organizations -- that offer counseling and advice to desperate women who are pregnant and might consider abandoning their babies in what might be a hazardous situation. In Los Angeles, the hot line is run by 60 professionals who offer counseling in 160 different languages.
Outreach is key in making sure Safe Haven laws are effective. The more women who know that these laws exist in their states, the better the chances their bundles of joy will not tragically turn into bundles of trash. If you live in a state that has a Safe Haven law, make sure you pass along the information to young women who might someday need to know about it. If your state does not have a Safe Haven law, it's time to contact your state lawmaker to get one on the books. |
